Sheriff still pushing plan for new facility with CHP

The sheriff isn’t giving up on a proposal to build a joint facility with the local California Highway Patrol.

“Just because the initial reply was negative, that doesn’t mean I’m done pursuing something that will benefit the citizens of this county,” Sheriff Greg Hagwood said last week.

Hagwood was referring to the recent decision by the CHP commissioner’s office to scrap the joint-facility plan.

The commissioner’s office said March 28 that the CHP decided to go ahead with plans to build its own office in the Quincy area.

The commissioner’s office said it already spent time and money to choose a site for a new CHP office and was committed to that site. The state declined to identify the site’s location because it said negotiations with the landowner were still taking place.

Despite the CHP’s announcement, the sheriff said he is working the political channels to garner support for the joint-facility plan. He said he wants to give the state an opportunity to reconsider.

“I’m working with the Board of Supervisors and enlisting the support of Assemblyman Brian Dahle and Sen. Ted Gaines to encourage the state to revisit the issue,” Hagwood said. “I want to sit down, discuss this and detail the benefits it will bring to the county.”

The sheriff’s plan, which was hatched with the help of Quincy Area CHP Commander Lt. Joe Edwards, called for a facility that would house the local CHP, sheriff and jail on one campus.

The proposal, which was announced in January, had strong local support and an endorsement by Sen. Gaines.

Hagwood said he identified a 13-acre site in East Quincy and was beginning the appraisal process when he learned of the CHP’s decision.

Hagwood said the new campus would cost about $30 million and would save the state and county millions of dollars in the long run by sharing resources.

The sheriff said he would continue to pursue the plan because it has a lot of support and just makes sense.

“All the feedback I’ve heard has been sympathetic to our cause,” Hagwood said. “That was from community members and business leaders.”

The local CHP and sheriff have been individually seeking to build new offices for years. Both of their current facilities are widely considered small and outdated.

The Plumas County jail has been a topic of concern for more than 20 years. Several grand juries have called the jail unsafe for both inmates and corrections officers.